Improved machine for bending sheet metal



. tongue D, as shown in the drawings.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY EVANS, JR., OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVED MACHINE FOR BENDNG SHEET METAL.

Specileation forming part of Letters Patent No. 30,53?, dated October 30, 1860.

.To @ZZ whom t may concern..-

Be it known that I, HENRY EvANs, Jr., of thecity and county of Baltimore, and State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Machine for Bending Sheet Metal for Gans, Boxes, dre., and I do hereby declare that the same is described and represented in the following specifications and drawings.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to de scribe its construction and operation, referring to the drawings, in which the same letters indicate like parts in each of the figures.

Figure l is a plan or top view of my machine. Fig. 2 is an elevation ofthe same with the levers U C turned up.

The nature of my invention consists in a machine for bending sheet metal for cans, boxes, se., having a bed and hinged tongue provided with grooves or shoulders for the bent edges of the tin, which is held between the tongue and bed while it is bent with two hinged levers into the form required for the box or can.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents a portion oi'atinnersbench with the bed B fastened to it, which bed is made the width of one edge or side of the can or box intended to be made, and it has the two levers C O hinged to it, as shown in the drawings. The rear end of the bed B has the tongue or lever I) hinged to it, as shown in Fig. I, which tongue is raised and held up by the spring E, fastened to the rear end of the bed B, and works under the bracket F, fastened to the A rod is put through the hole G, (shown by dotted line or circle in Fig. 1,) which passes down through the bed B and bench A, and is connected to a treadle,so that after the workman has put a piece of tin under the tongue D he can press the treadle down with his foot and draw down the tongue and clamp the piece of tin between the bed B and tongue D, and hold it tirm while he raises the levers G C with his hands and bends the tin to form the can or box. The piece of tin which is to ,forni the four sides of the can or box is cut of the proper size and notched for the corners, and three of its edges turned up to form the laps for the joining of the side and ends. One end of this piece is placed under the tongue, and the edge which is turned up is brought against the right-hand side of the tongue. One of the edges turned up is put in the groove II of the tongue, and the other comes by the end of the tongue which is pressed down, so as to clamp the tin between the tongue and bed,when the left-hand lever C is raised up to the side of the tongue and bends the tin, forming one corner ofthe can, and is then put down again and the tongue released, so as to be raised by the spring E,when the workman moves the tin so as to bring the notches in the edge over the corners of the bed, and then draws down the tongue with his foot, so as to` clamp the tin between the tongue and bed, and while it is so clamped he raises both ot' the levers C C, and bends two corners of the can or box and brings the straight end of the'piece of tin and the end which was bent for the lap together. Then the levers are turned down, the tongue raised, and the bent piece of tin sprung open, so that the bent edges for the laps will come out ofthe grooves in the tongue, and the tin is slipped otl", bent ready for soldering.

I believe I have described and represented the machine which I have invented for bending sheet metal for cans, boxes, &c., so as to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use it.

I will now state what I desire to secure by Letters Patent, to wit:

A bed and hinged tongue provided with grooves or shoulders H, for the bent edges of the tin, in combination with two levers hinged to said bed for bending the sheet of metal, as described.

HENRY EVANS, J R.

NVitnesses:

J. DENNIS, Jr., J. S. HoLLINGsHEAD. 

